Inhibitions
by DarkLane
Summary: What we want doesn't always matter.
1. Quiet

(A/N):

Hey everyone. This is my first try at fanfiction and after watching _Frenemies_ again I was inspired by the relationship between Avalon and Walker. After browsing this site to find a story to satisfy my need for hopeless romance and only finding one fic for this pairing I was pretty disappointed. I'm going to be adding new elements, themes and more background in this story to put my own twist on things which is why this will be rated T and _maybe_ M later on. Of course I would love reviews on this so please feel free to leave one. Thanks!

* * *

• Inhibitions •

Chapter 1

• Quiet •

* * *

:: _Summer 2012_ ::

Before she opened her eyes that morning she was buzzing with excitement. She had dreamt the wildest, most thrilling dreams behind her closed eyes that night and into the early morning hours. She eventually woke up to find her best friend in the bed next to hers staring absently at the ceiling, obviously not finding any sleep. It was 4:00am and Avalon usually would've thought better than to let her curiosity take her and Halley on a reckless 'tour', as she called it, through the lavish Plaza Hotel, especially in such an unfamiliar place. She might've rather opted for staying in the room and have a whispered conversation with Halley about their mutual hopes and barley contained elation. But instead, Avalon chose to snap her friend out of her early morning daze and venture out of their room for some entertainment.

Of course Halley was hesitant and quick to point out that the hotel did offer actual tours to guests and the public so that they would at least be supervised but Avalon waved it off, knowing from past experience that the best delights came from exploring. After admiring the exquisite hotel for an hour they finally settled for the Plaza Food Hall and gorged their stomachs with various delicious pastries they couldn't even pronounce the names of – so much for breakfast, Kendall would flip once he saw the bill.

The following hours had been quite slow with both girls reduced to only window shopping as punishment carried out by Kendall. They tried to sightsee and take as much photos as possible in the little time they had. Roaming Times Square all day was ideal for Halley and Avalon and they were almost sad when they thought about leaving this marvelous place. The group had lunch at the Tribeca Grill and made sure not to let their minds be swept up in the glory of the city enough to forget the why they took this trip. At around 12:30 the group started for the Alloy Building some fifteen blocks away. At 1 o'clock Avalon and Halley had an appointment with Jennifer Lönnroth, one the most prominent magazine editors and fashion journalists in New York. She was the head of Alloy Publications and current editor-in-chief of _Grandeur _magazine. She led a true media empire and garnered immense status and influence that made Cherie St. Claire and Burns Publications look like a cheap, half-assed paper run out of the back of a tofu truck. The meeting was to discuss a possible business opportunity in relation to _GeeklyChic_ with Avalon and Halley as co-editors.

As much as they were both ecstatic about this incredible opportunity the two friends were also very anxious about the circumstances, remembering what a disaster things had turned out to be the last time an offer this big came their way. Both girls made sure that Alloy Publications fully accepted their means of working as a team, to which Lönnroth's assistant assured them that they did. Even so, their nerves did dreadful things to their stomachs, twisting them in knots and churning them in their bodies. Avalon's heart was uneasy the entire walk and Halley's knees couldn't seem to support her weight. Their anxiety was wracking their brains and slowly diminishing their confidence.

"Hey. They can't force you to do anything you don't want to. If they aren't willing to work with what you guys have, then you can wait until a better deal comes along. That's really the worst that can happen." Kendall reassured them and it actually worked once the girls put the situation into real perspective.

After being momentarily mesmerized by the height of the Alloy Building, they entered and called the elevator. The ride to the seventy-sixth floor seemed to take years and once they were at the front desk, the petite receptionist pointed them towards Lönnroth's office. Kendall stayed out in the waiting room while the girls spoke with the magazine mogul.

All their exhilaration and constant prayers had not been futile. It really was an incredible opportunity. As promised, they would both hold positions as co-editors of their magazine which would be distributed by Alloy Publications of course. With an annual salary of $2 million each per year, complete creative freedom, a 100% guaranteed say in any and all venture decisions made involving _GeeklyChic_, two personal assistants for each of them, entrée and invites to all events, runaway shows, celebrations, ceremonies, collection premiers and press conferences as well as complete access to the magazine's wardrobe department for either personal or professional use (to which Avalon's heart stopped).

The conditions weren't really a catch, they were actually quite reasonable. For obvious reasons Avalon and Halley would need to take up residence in New York in order to work closely as co-editors of _GeeklyChic_. Also, they would report to Lönnroth on a regular basis about affairs regarding the magazine.

For a split second Halley and Avalon were disheartened about having to leave their lives in New Jersey. Leaving their friends and everything they knew all for a job was very daunting for the young girls. But it was just a fleeting thought and the sadness was short-lived. Just the thought of moving to the Big Apple and being surrounded by all of its diversity and the glamour was enough to make both girls' hearts sprout wings and fly to heaven.

What made it all the more settling was Jennifer Lönnroth. Maybe it was because they were young teenagers or because it was just the way she was but Halley and Avalon both found themselves surprisingly relaxed in her presence.

She wasn't exactly all perky and bubbly but was just a normal, lay-back type of person. She certainly wasn't a hardened shrew who wanted to intimidate everyone around her and only rub dirt in their faces with her reputation. Halley an Avalon found that they could actually carry on an actual conversation with her where they would speak and she would listen, not completely dismiss their concerns. It wasn't hard to look at her either.

She was in her mid-thirties but had the face of a twenty-year-old. She had the complexion of a porcelain doll made of fine china. Her elegantly classy ebony hair was pulled back into a messy bun. It was the deepest sort of black either girl had ever seen and was beautifully glossy. Thick long waves and curls rolled and twirled on her head and around her face. Lönnroth also possessed a pair of bright hazel grey eyes that seemed to pierce everything she looked at, being very keen. They were wonderfully gloomy in color and reminded Avalon of a snowy day in New Jersey. She had a kind smile and a lovely gleam in her eyes that warmed the two girls' hearts. Her baby pink lipstick only complimented the fine features on her face. She could also give and take jokes, which was a relief to them. She really was larger than life in person.

Still, she was sharp and straightforward. She was a true businesswoman by nature and the friends knew it was that sort of attitude that made her substantial in this industry. They knew her mentoring and guidance would open many doors for them in the future.

For Halley and Avalon, that was probably the biggest part of the whole meeting. If they accepted this deal, Lönnroth would be their boss meaning they would be seeing her often. They needed to get a read on her to determine whether or not they would be locking themselves in bad agreement with a vicious boss. But they quickly realized that her easy going personality and acute business persona could work to their advantage in many circumstances.

It really was as Kendall said. Halley and Avalon had nothing to lose but everything to gain with this deal. This was their ticket to a lifetime of luxury and security doing what they love. If this deal was locked down they would be set for life. Even so, they found themselves incapable of reaching a final decision right there in Lönnroth's office. It would've felt too rash for either of them to give the green light right now, even if they were both certain of their answer which they weren't.

"Can we have some time to discuss this and really think it over, Ms. Lönnroth?" Halley tentatively asked.

She only smiled and said, "Almost everyone except the press addresses me as Jennifer. And I recognize that all this may be a bit overwhelming for the both of you right now, that's understandable. It's probably the best course of action too since I _need _the two of you to be 100% invested and enthusiastic about this, because if you're not, it'll show in the magazine and that's the last thing either of us want, I'm sure. So talk it over and let us know when you've reached your decision. We'll be in touch."

"Thank you so much… Jennifer, we certainly will."

After that was settled Lönnroth quickly went over a few other things regarding the magazine launch, marketing ect., which of course would only apply if they accepted the deal. Finally, the meeting wrapped up and the girls left the office. They felt new air rush to their lungs when they sighed in relief. Their bodies were still a little tense from the nerves but that all dissolved once Kendall joined them in walking towards the elevator. The only thing neither of them mentioned until they were safely outside was the final detail Lönnroth had given them before the meeting ended. It left heavy weights on their hearts knowing that it would crush them if they didn't do something about it soon.

The offer was good for a month, after that it was off the table.

Now, it was close to six in the evening. After their appointment, the group spent a few more hours in New York before starting the drive home. The one hour drive from New York back to Paterson had been almost completely silent. The girls filled Kendall in on what had gone down in the meeting and he could honestly say that he was proud of his little sister for scoring a deal this big. The silence gave Halley and Avalon the chance to be alone in their own thoughts and think everything through individually. While Halley busied herself with analyzing this deal, weighing out the pros and cons, Avalon's mind drifted slightly elsewhere.

None of her and her best friend's 'luck' was really 'luck', as Halley called it. Avalon hadn't forgotten. She didn't want to forget. Or just toss the sorry guy a 'thank you' and a smile to keep him happy. She didn't want to be the type of person to have a wonderfully amazing favor done on her behalf and not show an ounce of gratitude for it. She'd seen that scenario play out in front of her a few times before and she hated it. She leaned against the car door and let her head rest on the window. She glanced at the back of Halley's seat who rode shotgun.

It was all because of Walker that all these doors swung open for _GeeklyChic_.

Avalon wouldn't let herself forget. She kept silently reminding herself of that fact every business trip, every conference they'd been at since their broadcast on _Teens Now_. Since then, everything that could go right, did and Avalon couldn't help but feel like Walker had worked some real magic to have scored the deals his favor did. And of course the fact that he had a little crush on her didn't escape her mind either.

Avalon couldn't believe she thought about him so much this summer and didn't even try to contact him once. She really couldn't blame herself for thinking about him so much since they had been darting at offers left and right all summer which were all made possible because of him. She and Halley were constantly busy and time slipped through their fingers – they didn't even have time for any back to school shopping (something she had been really nagging herself about in the back of her mind all summer). Normally, Avalon would mentally smack herself and urge herself to forget about whatever was distracting her. But she wasn't hard on herself this time. She wanted to let herself wander and allow everything to take its course. She was tired of rewriting things that never seem to change in her favor anyway. Walker wasn't worth forgetting about. He wasn't harsh or intense, that much she knew about him, so she wouldn't be hard on herself when it came to him.

A dribbling rain drop on her window had Avalon blink her eyes up to look at the grey sky. Soon, tiny rain droplets smeared on the window with the wind against the car. Avalon watched as they scurried across the window, quickly disappearing on the far right side. It looked like it was drizzling and they were almost home. Avalon sighed in relief. She was tired and didn't want to go anywhere else today. Spending the rest of the day at home alone seemed ideal to her right now.

When she revisited the idea found herself slightly hoping that she wouldn't be home alone today. But there was no telling now so she let herself lean back in her seat, still keeping her eyes on the window. They finally reached their suburban neighborhood and turned onto their street. Avalon always thought it was sweet that she and her best friend lived right next door to each other. It made things convenient.

Kendall pulled up into the Brandon's driveway and turned the engine off. Avalon was the first one of out the car and sprinted towards her house.

"Call you later, kay Avalon?" Halley called looking at her friend over the car door as she stepped out.

"Yeah okay!" Avalon said as she reached her front door. She frantically fished her keys out of her bag, not wanting to spend another moment out in this humidity and deal with the crazy things it might do to her hair. Finally she got the front door open and went inside, locking the door again behind her. She paused for a moment and didn't hear a sound in the house. She cautiously took one step forward.

"Mom?" she called out.

No answer.

She nodded disappointingly to herself and walked across the foyer into the kitchen. She tossed her bag and keys on the counter, making her way around the island and getting a bowl from the cabinet. She then reached over and pulled open a drawer, grabbing a spoon. She went over to the freezer and grabbed the pint of cookie dough ice cream, scooping it with the spoon into the bowl. Putting the ice cream back, she went to living room and sat down on the couch. She thought about looking for something to watch on TV but decided against it and ate her ice cream in the silence and comfort of her home. She loved this old house, well, at least it was old to her; she lived here her whole life.

Just as she finished her ice cream, Avalon felt the exhaustion really hit her from the long day she had. She wearingly went to the kitchen and put the bowl in the sink before dragging herself upstairs to her room.

She had just meant to listen to her iPod and close her eyes for a bit before getting up to make herself dinner. She didn't notice the music begin to ebb in her ears. She never caught herself drifting further off to sleep before she was drowning in those wonderfully wild dreams again just as she had that morning.

* * *

_/ / i'm not yours, and you're not mine_

_but we can sit and pass the time_

_no fighting wars, no ringing chimes_

_we're just feeling fine -  
_

_hold my hand to keep me steady_

_just to be quiet_

_with you / /  
_

_· ·_

_ - Quiet by Lights - _


	2. Family

(A/N):

Second chapter! Please review so I know I'm not telling this story to a wall.

* * *

• Inhibitions •

Chapter 2

• Family •

* * *

Up until mid-August, Walker had spent his summer reading to kids at the local children's library. Making himself well-rounded and have plenty of community service hours would look outstanding on his college application.

But soon enough, he and his mother flew down to sunny Florida for a wedding.

Today, his beloved aunt Evey was getting married for the fifth time in her life. Her new husband-to-be was a web designer from Washington state. Walker saw his aunt often. She was there for everything major in his life, every birthday, every graduation, every Christmas etc. Because of that, they were very close and Walker saw her as a second mom. She was only thirty-two and gone through more marriages than most women do in a lifetime. With the rockabilly style she had been sporting since she was fourteen, her curly shoulder length platinum blonde hair, bright blue eyes, pale skin and signature red lipstick; she was one of a kind.

It always puzzled Walker as to why his aunt just _had _to have a man by her side. She was an incredibly bright young woman with a thriving career as a chemical engineer. She could undoubtedly lead her own life and be independent if she gave herself the chance. It saddened Walker when he thought about all the effort she put into her past marriages; how heartbroken she was when every one of them ended in divorce. But leave it to his sweet, happy-go-lucky aunt to get right back up and try again. Oddly enough, Evey never came off as desperate, just always looking for a new beginning or another chance. Evey was full of love and probably only wanted that love to be returned, sadly she didn't have much luck finding it.

Evey grew up with Walker's mother and their brother in New Jersey but moved to Florida when she was twenty. Walker always looked forward to visiting her every summer and often went alone. His mother was always unwilling to go see her little sister and was almost a no-show at this ceremony.

Being at another one of her weddings, Walker had his doubts about how sure Evey was of this marriage or her relationship with Marc. The ceremony would take place on a tiny hill in the Kissimmee area of Florida under the shade of a giant old oak tree. There was nothing but fresh dew on green grass for miles and some woods off in the distance. The early morning weather couldn't have been better. The sun wasn't strong and the cool air was a relief from the scorching heat that was sure to come around later that day. It was 7am; the sun hadn't climbed so high up in the sky. The cold mist of dawn was quickly clearing out and retreating into the woods.

Seats of twenty were neatly arranged in rows for the witnesses. Along either side of the aisle were several 40" roman styled pillars with bouquets of peach posies on each one. Long lace spreads sat beneath the bouquets, linking one pillar to the next. At the end of the aisle stood a full-sized wedding arch, the lace spreads that draped over it flowed gently with the breeze. The minister, maid-of-honor and best man waited under the arch, adoring smiles on their faces.

Lost in his own thoughts, Walker hadn't realized the ceremony began until he saw the flower girl and ring bearer, his cousins, reach the arch and stand beside Marc and the minister. He turned around and watched as Evey walked down the aisle accompanied by his uncle Armin. Walker's grandfather passed away two years ago, during Evey's fourth marriage. His aunt smiled the same bright smile she had at her first wedding and held the same hopeful gleam in her eyes; her dress swept slowly over the fallen rose petals. Even with his doubt, Walker couldn't help but feel happy for her seeing how she was practically glowing. All eyes followed them to the arch where Armin gave away his sister and took his seat.

The couple turned to face the minister who read a small passage of marriage from a traditional Scottish folktale. They said their 'I do's' and then came the rings.

"By the power vested in me by the state of Florida, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Everyone stood and clapped as Marc and Evey shared their first kiss as man and wife. The newly-weds then led their entourage down the aisle in a short walk to Evey's house for the reception, showered in a raining parade of tumbling rice and rose petals.

* * *

"She holds the reception at her house, ha! She doesn't even put much effort anymore just to be safe!" Walker's mother laughed as she and her son were alone in Evey's kitchen arranging the hors d'oeuvres and drinks accordingly.

"Mom, why do have to be so hard on her? She's your sister."

"I know but how many times is she going to keep doing this? Not only that but now she's slacking; a reception at her house! They're not even going on a honeymoon. What an embarrassment! And your grandfather, may he rest in peace, never got over the shame that that girl brought on this family with all the different men she tried to score."

Walker snickered, "Grandpa loved Evey. And he always scolded you whenever you mocked her, he wouldn't have it, not like everyone else on your side of the family. They don't lift a finger when you scorn her," he shot back, going to the fridge to get the sparkling cider.

It was true. Walker's dear grandfather was the only one who ever truly supported Evey's many quests for love within their family. Everyone else eyed her wearily and spoke poorly about her amongst themselves. Evey was never one to let anything, much less the opinion of others, make her bitter. But his grandfather never let anyone speak ill of her when he was around, he'd was always quick to put them all in their place. Walker realized then that he was much like his grandfather in that sense. He looked up to him and would feel blessed if he managed to become even half of the man his grandfather was. He remembered how devastated Evey was when her dad finally passed away two years ago – it broke his heart too.

Carla looked at her son, who looked unfazed by her brash comments made about Evey, quickly going to her defense while slapping some cold-hard truth in her face. She was stunned. She had meant to cut corners with her son about the way Evey and her father interacted, miserably underestimating Walker's memory and wit. This wasn't the first time he was crude with her, in fact it was the personality he had grown to develop as he got older. However he had never been so direct with her in regards to her actions and calling her out on her straight-up lies. Leave it to her son to hit the nail on the head and be incredibly brazen with her. She knew she was going to be getting a lot more of this the older he got, and that worried her.

"Are you gonna help me with this or not?" he asked her, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Their eyes met, "That's some mouth you have. Knock it off." She said.

"I told you the truth mom. Just because I point out your lies doesn't mean I'm being rude."

"Why do you always defend her? Why do you encourage her bad habit?"

"Mom, I don't encourage it. I'm happy for her and you should be too. I just don't think it's fair that she gets looked down upon so much just because she wants to be happy. Is she hurting anybody doing this? Is she a bad person? No. That's what grandpa saw that no one else wanted to see. She just wants to be happy. So I'm not gonna stand here and listen to you demean her."

Carla averted her eyes ahead and Walker turned around. Evey was causally making her way towards kitchen, smiling at the people she made eye contact with.

"Hey guys! Sorry it took so long for us to finally have some time to talk. I've been busy with the guests." She said going to hug Walker.

"Hi Evey. Congratulations." He greeted.

"Thank you sweetie!"

"Walker! Don't be rude!"

They both pulled away, startled by her outburst, "No. It's fine; he's been calling me that for years. Aunt Evey sounds too much." She assured Carla, going to hug her and kiss her on the cheek.

"Congratulations Evey." Carla smiled.

"Thanks fruitcake."

Walker shot his mom a look and Carla just smirked while Evey checked out the hors d'oeuvres.

"These are amazing! Thank you so much, both of you for helping me out." She beamed.

"Hey it's not like we cooked any of this, you're giving us too much credit." Walker said.

"Nonsense! Oh, Walker your grandma was just asking for you hon." Evey said.

"Okay. See you guys. Bye Evey."

Evey smiled in return and Walker left the kitchen in search of his grandmother.

That left the two sisters alone. And Carla silently breathed a sigh of relief when Evey started off the conversation, afraid she would've made things awkward if it was up to her to begin.

"He's such a good kid."

That was a good start. Carla smiled and nodded towards her, "Enjoying yourself sis?"

Evey laughed, "You're asking me that on my wedding day? Of course I'm enjoying myself! I'm exhilarated, even more so that you and Walker are here with me." She smiled.

"I'm glad."

Carla watched as sister causally whirled her Shirley Temple in her wineglass and waited for her to speak.

She suddenly perked up, eyes shimmering, "I have amazing news."

"Oh? What's that?"

"I'm moving to New York."

Carla was taken by surprise but cleverly disguised it beneath a smile.

"Is the Plant gonna let you?"

"They can't obligate me to stay. I can easily transfer. Marc has an apartment in Manhattan."

Carla blinked, "You're gonna leave this beautiful house for an apartment in Manhattan?"

Evey shrugged, "I'm not giving up too much. And I want to be close to my nephew."

Carla automatically went on the defensive. She let her fork drop on her plate, "And why is that?" she demanded, taking a firm stance.

"Well, I want to see him more often."

"Evey, why do you always have to poke around my family?"

"I'm not poking jeez! _We're _family Carla. I don't see what the problem is."

"You need to mind your own business. Walker is fine. He's not a little kid anymore; he can take care of himself."

"He is not fine! You think that no one here feels the hostility between you too? You're really clashing."

"Yes, because he's a teenager, and teenagers always rub elbows with their parents. But there's no _hostility_ Evey."

"Still! He's not okay! I saw the way you treated him when he was growing up. It's no wonder opposes you so much."

"What do you mean 'how I treated him'? I raised him right."

"That's another thing. You raised him practically alone. This is a family gathering! And where's Michael? On a business trip in Sacramento! Think how that would affect a child? Having a mother who's too hard on him and a father who's never there. That's not a healthy environment."

Carla had enough, "You know what? My son doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, doesn't do drugs! So let me worry about my kid and you worry about yours. Oh, wait…"

"Go to hell Carla! Act your own age, not your shoe size!" Evey went to storm out of the kitchen before stopping and turning back to her sister, "He's my boy too. And I will do whatever I have to to protect him – even if it's from his own mother." With that she left, leaving Carla planted there, her face etched with fury.

* * *

Walker wandered around his relatives for an hour or so, being passed on by one to the next. Soon he found himself in a corner of Evey's living room, sitting in a chair with his mind worlds away from anything having to do with his family.

The last he heard of Avalon and Halley was the final day of school two months ago. They were ecstatic about all the exposure _GeeklyChic_ was getting since the little favor he pulled for them. Over the past three months they were contacted by at least twenty different publishing companies, big-name and small-time alike. He knew they chased each offer with lots of hope that their dreams would be realized. However, last he heard, they hadn't accepted anything or were official just yet.

What he loved the most was seeing Avalon become overjoyed with where her magazine could go. Every day since then she lit up any place she walked into, jolting with a brilliant energy that just fascinated him. He was happy knowing he took part in bringing her so much joy. In the hallways he couldn't help but feel like she had wanted to say more to him rather than just end things with a thankful hug, which he didn't mind of course; just like he didn't mind when she and Halley found out about his little crush on her. Walker began to wonder how this girl had managed to turn his insides out whenever he saw her. How she would make him so timid and render him speechless when they came face to face. Even her pout or petty insults always made his heart beat a little faster than he was used to. That made him smile. He didn't mind that she had this control over him; he didn't want to fight it because he wanted her to keep coming around.

He thought she was cute and he couldn't really think of any other reason as to why he would be so drawn to her. She wasn't exactly a straight A student and didn't always come off as very bright to him. But she was vivacious and had a burning passion to which she dedicated herself 110%. He could see that much in her, even without knowing her all that well, Walker had a keen eye for detail. He hadn't thought much of it when he began stealing glances at her in the hallway; he was almost aloof about it. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to look at her, like second nature. Even so, he was fairly sure the attraction was just physical. But the feelings her everlasting charm would stir inside him suggested otherwise.

Walker felt his face flush and he was instantly grateful the place was dim save for the lamp across the room and the light coming from the TV; he would have been mortified if anyone noticed. That's when he craned his neck to look out the window behind him and realized it was dusk. Outside, sun was almost out of sight and he could see the sky fade out from a light orange to a deep navy blue. He and his mom would have to return to their hotel soon.

"Walker!" he heard a familiar voice call his name and quickly turned to see who it was.

His cousin Ricky staggered a bit while crossing the living room to meet him.

Walker smiled, "Hey Ricky." He stood up to hug him.

Out of the four of his uncle Armin's children, the two eldest, Ricky and Lucas, who we're around Walker's age, were his favorite cousins. The three of them practically grew up together for the first ten years of their lives. But they moved to Port Norris about seven years ago and only saw each other a couple a few times a year – Armin's family was always reluctant to attend Evey's weddings.

"What's going on brother?" Ricky asked as they pulled away.

"Nothing. Just sitting alone, trying to get away from the family for a bit."

Ricky nodded "Yeah, me and Lucas too."

"Where is he?"

"Outback. We're just hanging out, c'mon." Ricky cocked his head, going towards the den with Walker following close behind.

* * *

The two boys went through the den and out a side door to the right of the house.

Lucas was leaning against the fence with a 40oz. in one hand and a rolled up blunt in another.

At that moment, Avalon was far from Walker's mind. Now he knew why Ricky was staggering back in the living room.

"Hey Walker! Long time, no see." He greeted as Ricky and Walker approached him.

Walker stifled a smile, "Hey Lucas." He said, holding his breath as his cousin hugged him, "Ricky told me you were out here."

"Yeah we got tired of our old man telling us to spend time some with grandma, she always tells the same old boring stories," he slurred while Ricky stood next to him against the fence and he handed him the joint.

The two brothers were quiet for a minute, lost in their drunken, high paradise, taking swigs from the same bottle and long drags from the blunt. Walker instantly felt awkward. Although he was a teenager he never really saw the fun in dabbling in alcohol and weed, he found better ways of using his time and it shocked him to see his cousins get so enthralled in the habit. He shoved his hands in his pockets and decided to busy himself with looking around.

The side yard was quite narrow, only about three yards from the house to the fence. Walker noticed a jagged gas pipe protruding from the fence about a foot away from Lucas's head that seemingly led to the house next door. It was a pipe left over from when the two houses shared a gas line a couple of years ago. Evey's third husband had cut it off in a slanted fashion, leaving a sharp end.

Walker paid no mind to it, all he wanted to do was get the hell out of there.

"Okay, I think I'm gonna go now guys." He said getting ready to take his leave.

"What do you mean?" Lucas questioned, blocking his path and taking a long drag from his joint, "We wanna catch up." he then blew a mouthful of weed in Walker's face.

"Don't blow that nasty shit in my face!" Walker exclaimed, shoving Lucas back a few feet.

"You know what-!" Lucas began, coming at Walker ready to attack him when Ricky stepped in.

"Lucas! Lucas calm down man. Relax." He pleaded, holding him back.

Lucas shoved his brother away and glared at Walker who scoffed and went back to the door – Lucas always did have a short fuse.

Lucas charged at Walker again and Ricky held him back. Lucas then abruptly jerked his head back hard, breaking Ricky's nose.

Ricky stumbled back holding his nose and kneeling on the ground in pain.

Walker couldn't believe what he was seeing. Lucas was now in a drunken rage. He could only think of what a pathetic bastard his cousin had turned into, breaking his brother's nose in a fight over his inflated ego. He saw Ricky slowly get on his feet.

"Why are you always like this? Whenever you get drunk you get so pissed off and violent!" Ricky exclaimed.

"Shut up!" Lucas warned him.

"Is that what I'm supposed to do after you break my nose?!"

Lucas was enraged. He quickly moved towards Ricky, upper cutting him.

Ricky lurched back towards the fence, smashing his head onto the old gas pipe and fell onto the ground motionless.

"Shit. Shit, Ricky?" Lucas asked, too stoned to actually have a worried tone in his voice, "Ricky?"

Walker looked on, horrified. Ricky wasn't responding and blood was already oozing out from the massive gash on the back of his head.

"Ricky brother, talk to me," Lucas pleaded, hysterical now, "Oh my god."

Walker ran towards the door. He ran through the den into the living room where he spotted his mother who was talking to his aunt Melinda, Lucas and Ricky's mother.

"Mom! Mom!" he cried, getting her attention.

"Walker, honey, what happened?" Carla asked concerned as to why her son was so frantic.

"Ricky." He said, breathless, "He hit his head on some pipe and he's not moving and he bleeding real bad."

"Oh my god!" Melinda cried, "Where is he?"

"Out the side door in the den."

"Armin!" Melinda cried, rushing towards the den. Walker, Carla, Armin, Evey and some other guests followed quickly.

Melinda flung the door open to see her son lying on the ground unconscious and the other in a complete state of panic. Melinda screamed, going straight to Ricky and tried to hold him but he was matted with so much blood. The rest of the guests spilled out onto the yard and in the doorway as she begged someone to call 911.

* * *

Walker stood on Evey's front porch and watched as Lucas was put in handcuffs and led away to a police cruiser, accompanied by two officers. It was black as tar outside now. Ricky was pronounced dead on the scene when the paramedics arrived a few hours ago. Lucas, Walker and a few other relatives were questioned which took a couple of hours.

Lucas, of course, tried his best to cover his own ass but Walker told the officers the truth – Lucas had killed his brother. Now his cousin was arrested and would most certainly be facing murder charges under Florida state law.

Walker's stomach was so tightly knotted he was scared to move. He felt like he could throw up everything he ate that day, he felt sick.

Once the cruiser drove away, Walker began to cross the front lawn.

"Walker honey," his mother's voice stopped him, "Do you need anything?"

He waited a moment before answering. "I wanna go home," he averted his eyes, "I don't wanna be here anymore." He continued towards the car and his mother followed him.

* * *

_/ / say something awful, as if fucking the world is your right_

_and I watch you stumble, drunk out into the night -_

_you're thirsty for blood, you're pickin' a fight_

_and I wanted to ask you, 'man what do you do in the daylight?' - _

_someone lies bleeding, someone got violent and did not think twice_

_and I watched you, my brother, make a fool of the moon tonight_

_so bum me a cigarette, buy me a beer till I'm happy to be here, happy to be here_

_with all of my family hookers in heels and the men who watch them like hungry black eels._

_am I just a spark? / /_

_· ·_

_- Family by Noah Gundersen -_

* * *

(A/N):

Okay, so now this story is rated M for the drinking, drug use, violence and death in this chapter. I don't think I'm gonna have much more of the drug use or violence in this story since it's so OOC but there will be other mature themes so I'll stick with it, and you never know. Also, if there is any confusion as to how to pronounce "Evey" its [ee-vee] like the Pokémon. Chapter 3 is already in the works.


End file.
